This is the Winter 2018 course discussion blog for and by UCLA students enrolled in LGBTQ Studies 183: Queer Arts in LA.
This course includes a creative component. When this course was first offered during the Fall 2012 quarter, the students researched queer artists who have a significant connection to Los Angeles. Then created a collaborative website.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Week 4 Blog Post

Hey y'all,

As there were so many topics covered in this reading this week, there were many instances that I found myself immensely interested throughout the reading. The first topic I found interesting was the fact that the Metropolitan Community Church was established by 1972. I had thought that progressive religious groups had been a more recent thing as 1972 was not far after the Stonewall Riots. I thought that the rise of religious establishments like this were created within the last 10 years. I was also surprised that many other chapters of the church started all over the United States soon after the one in Los Angeles.

I was somewhat shocked with learning that the LGBT community was divided back then almost as much as it is currently. LGBT people of color distrusted the white-dominated spaces which resulted in them creating their own. This is an issue that the LGBT student groups at UCLA presently voice and I had wondered if this was a problem that arose in the new age of queer radicalism or if this was something that had shown itself before. Lesbians started seperating themselves from gay, male-dominated spaces because they felt that their identity as non-heterosexual was being validated, but not their gender.

It was also interesting to see how organization's missions have shifted throughout the years. When I was in high school, GLAAD was the organization my Gay-Straight Alliance (yes, I am aware of the implications Gay-Straight Alliance's hold) advisor told me to reach out to if I had any trouble. However, after this reading I am finding out that GLAAD's focus was to fight against sexual-identity based discrimination in regards to theatre and film. I was also immensely surprised I had never heard of GLASS and intend to due further research on the present state of the organization.